Hackers

[brian nordstrom]

Hi guys , just a heads up :gamer:
Spammers are active here in IIS , Password change time I think :thumbsup:
Brian.

[PCH]

Why - what would that do?

Just asking :)

[brian nordstrom]

:question: Dont then , simple .
Brian.

[LostInSp_ce]

Paul, they might be phishing around the site and may have possibly hacked some or all users passwords. Allowing them to easily hijack an account/s and use it to spam all over the site. If you're thinking that changing your password is pointless it's not. It could have taken them weeks or months to get it and so by changing it sets them back again and they'll most likely lose interest and hopefully move on. It's not a bad thing either to change it regularly which can help minimise the risk and the stronger your password is the longer it will take to be cracked.

You can test one here
https://www.betterbuys.com/estimating-password-cracking-times/

[LewisM]

OMG, the hackers stole your "a" in your online name!

It starts easy...

[LewisM]

Hmmm. My current password came back in millenial time frame. i think I'll be OK.

[LostInSp_ce]

Word is (or letter) that it's in the outer reaches of the Solar System and possibly orbiting Voyager 2 :lol:

[Slawomir]

Changed mine just in case.

Thanks Brian :thumbsup:

[AndrewJ]

I would hope that most sites had ( at least ) a limit on failed sequential logins.
The brute force cracking can only work if they test against the site????
That said, changing passwords is always a good thing ( as long as you can remember them :-) )
Andrew

[LewisM]

Aw, c'mon Suavi, "CFF105" as a password is too easy to figure out :P

[LostInSp_ce]

And unless your dog's name is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious I wouldn't use it.

[Slawomir]

I thought nobody will crack my new password!

Will need to change it one day to CFF140 or CFF160, or maybe even TOAxxx? ;)

[PCH]

Ah! Got it - thanks for taking the time to explain.

I follow the logic, although in all the years I've been here I've never heard anyone report that that had happened to them.

Mostly, aren't these spammers just advertising their stuff. And don't they just create an account in the normal way followed by posting their links?

Why have we suddenly started substituting/confusing 'spammer' with 'hacker'?

Just asking (again) :)

[doppler]

The big thing spammers / phishers go for is email addresses and then bomb you with junk emails and they can even send out emails to random people with your email address as the sender so it looks like you are the spammer. If you ignore and delete suspect emails they soon stop.

[LostInSp_ce]

This is most likely what's happening but I thought I'd point out what can happen and why it's good practice for not just on here but for the 'www universe' in general.

[PCH]

Ok matey, thanks for taking the time to clarify. I do totally get what you're saying in the broader context.

[brian nordstrom]

:D Perhaps , but I have recieved 2 emails from a fellow IIS'r last week , just links and nothing else , I did not open them of course just deleted them and
he has been notified and did not send them so I thought I would put this out there so others can be advised .
Brian.

[luka]

Considering that this site is using HTTP only (no encryption) keep in mind that passwords are sent over the Internet in plain text, readable by everybody.
DO NOT REUSE THE PASSWORDS!

[pfitzgerald]

Thanks for the heads up - and have changed it.